Kinisophia

There's so much I could say about "Fase". I revisit it every few years--it always captivates me, but it also always brings up something new. This time, two things stood out. First, de Keersmaeker's repetition of this phrase teaches us (or reminds us of) the value of deep understanding. As the phrase goes  on, your attention goes to the subtle differences each time they perform the phrase. You start to notice how many distinct parts there are to the entire work, and how these parts interact with each other to form the whole. You see small details that almost certainly would have eluded you had the phrase been abandoned after its initial appearance. And you realize that what you initially thought was straightforward is more complex than you could have ever appreciated were you to see it just once. Second, the camera functions as an interlocutor. By changing the angles at which you are viewing the phrase, the camera highlights elements that may have been beyond you...

Partnering in dance is a remarkably intimate thing to do. Our world encourages isolation and self-sufficiency; partnering demands that both people submit to each other. It's uncomfortable to be so close, to be so vulnerable, to give so much of your control over your body and your choices to another. But because it's so common in dance, that intimacy is often lost in performance. In the pink/purple pas de deux from Robbins' "Dances at a Gathering", that connection and dependence is centered and celebrated. Even in the moments of physical separation, there is no isolation. It's a truly beautiful 2.5 minutes that reminds me how dance is uniquely capable of capturing the feelings of community, trust, vulnerability, and love that are essential to humanity.